Waterloo Health Centre: date set for GPs to move to Lower Marsh prefab
The Waterloo Health Centre will relocate to its temporary home on the former library site in Lower Marsh from mid-January 2024.
This week Lambeth councillors approved plans to refurbish and extend the office block at 1-5 Lower Marsh.
We reported earlier this year that one of the building's tenants - the Waterloo Health Centre which serves more than 15,000 local NHS patients - was looking for new premises.
Since then a temporary surgery - using prefabricated units - has been erected on the former Waterloo Library site further along Lower Marsh.
The GP practice will relocate to the modular building from mid-January 2024. Patients will be seen in the temporary building for up to two years.
"The NHS South East London Integrated Care Board are currently looking at four potential options for the permanent solution for Waterloo Health Centre, and have a broad plan of delivering the permanent solution by the end of 2025 in the Waterloo area," according to a report to Lambeth's planning applications committee this week.
At Tuesday night's Lambeth Town Hall meeting councillors approved the plans for 1-5 Lower Marsh.
As well as refurbished and extended office space, the ground floor will include three shop units. At present, one of the existing shops on the site is occupied by stationery chain Rymans.
Simon Morgan, representing developer Capital 38, told councillors: "We feel that the building in its current form does not reflect the surrounding character of Lower Marsh, sitting awkwardly in the context of the conservation area, and as such it contributes to a weak southern end to the street in several respects. "
He added: "We consider the scheme to represent a major investment in this part of Lambeth, on this important and exciting street."
Waterloo Health Centre's Dr George Verghese told the committee that in the 32 years the surgery has been at 5 Lower Marsh its patient list has grown from 6,000 to more than 15,000.
"We have a robust solution built on 114 Lower Marsh, which we plan to move into in January," he said.
Dr Verghese thanked the surgery's current landlords Capital 38 and signalled the practice's support for the redevelopment of their current building: "We support this application which will provide a development that will enhance Lower Marsh - our local community - for the future."
Although the GP surgery won't be returning to 5 Lower Marsh, the developers will be required to provide space for medical use in the revamped building.
Members of Lambeth's planning applications committee resolved unanimously that planning permission be granted for the 1-5 Lower Marsh scheme.
